Inspiration
by Lil DragonLex
Summary: Botan lost something important. Hiei gave it back to her.


**AN: **This was made so that I could fight my writer's block for **Courtship Dance.**

It was like trying to dig deeper in a well that was clearly out of water. But she just keep digging and digging, in hopes that if she just kept digging enough, there'd be a miracle that would give her what she wanted.

For the thirty-sixth time, Botan made a wide, and what she hoped to be bright, smile at the mirror. When she didn't get the result that she desperately hoped for, she sank to the ground.

Where was that smile that everyone loved and was so used to seeing? Where was that spark in her eyes to tell everyone that she did believe in innocence, truth, and that doing good things will be worth it in the end? Without them, she was not the person that she once was.

Where was her inspiration?

She used to love her work. She still did, but…. lately she just couldn't find it in herself to smile from her heart. She couldn't bring that thin smile that she now used to reach her eyes. And when she couldn't do that, she couldn't bring some sort of comfort to the souls that she was ferrying.

Botan frowned at the mirror that gave her no help.

Looks like the thirty-ninth time wasn't the charmed.

Then she glared at the girl who nearly lost three souls that same day. It was so unlike her. She was the best ferry girl. She never lost a single soul. But because of her lack of inspiration, she found it hard to concentrate on what she was doing. Koenma even forced her to take the rest of the week off so that she wouldn't accidentally lose a soul.

Sighing, Botan opened the door that led outside the bathroom, long ago giving up trying to find that motivation that had once driven her.

She had tried everything that used to get her going: souls that needed to be ferried, friends, rainbows, cute puppies and bunnies… Nothing worked.

"Botan, you've been in there for quite a long time. Are you alright?" Yukina asked her once she went to the main room where everyone else was.

Suddenly she felt a need to be alone. She gave them a laughed that sounded fake even to her. "Haha. Sorry. I just had to really go." Then she flashed a look to her watch and exclaimed, "And look at the time. I really have to go!"

She made a hasty exit and didn't stop running until she was at the bottom of the stairs. Botan let out an exhausted breath. "Now I feel bad for leaving them like that."

Then she shrugged. There was nothing that she was going to do about that now. She didn't want to face all of them when she couldn't even give them a genuine smile.

As she kept walking, Botan noticed something that was missing.

"My oar! I left back it there!"

Botan run back in the direction that she came from. Then she stopped when she realized that she really didn't want to see her friends again so soon. So she turned right back around and started walking. Soon she turned again, determined to get her oar and leave. When she reached the stair case, she lost her determination and turned around.

The same thing happened for the next couple of minutes.

Botan was still at the bottom of the stairs with no decision in sight.

The idea of crying was beginning to sound more and more pleasing by the second too.

"Baka onna."

That voice…

Botan stiffened and slowly turned around to face him.

There he was. In all of his glory, halfway on the steps.

She hadn't seen him for a couple of weeks.

"Hiei."

"You left your oar. Yukina asked me to give it back to you."

Her heart skipped several beats.

"T-Thank you f-for taking the time to find me and giving it back to me," she stammered. She couldn't control her heart to stop beating so loudly.

"Hn. Just try to not leave without it again."

He tossed the oar to her, which in turned she caught it almost effortlessly.

Almost.

Hiei smirked at her clumsy catch.

And he was still there when she climbed on it.

Botan flew towards him and gave him her first real smile in a long time.

"Thank you."

The sparkle was back in her eyes.

"Thank you so much."

"For what onna?" His sounded bored and annoyed. But he didn't move away as Botan moved closer to him so that she was less than an arm's reach. "I just gave you back your oar."

Botan slightly nodded her head as if she agreed.

"You gave me back something that I lost."


End file.
